Waste 2021

At Waste 2021, Heinz Schandl presented a keynote address on social theory, public policy and the circular economy. The CSIRO’s National Circular Economy Roadmap highlights that if Australia were to shift towards a circular economy – one focused on more than simply resource recovery but the entire material lifecycle – it could unlock billions of dollars in lost revenue. The roadmap found that the capacity of the global ecosystem to absorb growing waste generation is limited, while identifying opportunities across the whole supply chain of how waste can be avoided, and materials can be re-used or recycled.

Heinz’s address highlighted that Australia’s traditional take-make-dispose consumption pattern is hitting two walls: ever more expensive primary materials and unacceptable ways of dealing with waste. While innovation is crucial to overcoming these obstacles and realising Australia’s largest economic gains.